The Scars Still Remain, and The Tears Still Flow
by conformityissuicide
Summary: Hermione disappeared, and after six years of invisibility she's finally come back to England, but with a six year old surprise.
1. My Pain Reminds Me of You

A/N: This was an idea I've had for awhile, but haven't been able to put into a full blown story. All the words in italics are from a poem I wrote, and I had written down in my notebook at school, so when my friend read it, she wrote down the song lyrics. I thought they fit so perfectly with the story that I had to add them. This is a Hermione/Twins fic, I think it's Fred, but it could be either twin. Alright, I'm done rambling, read and review please. I'll love you forever!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter, the twins, or Hermione. (just in case anyone thought I did)

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**The Scars Still Remain, and The Tears Still Flow**

"_and our scars remind us that the past is real..."_

_Scars are physical reminders of pain..._

She sat on the floor of her flat, surrounded by pictures and a book labeled **Memories**. She picked up each picture in turn, glanced at the smiling faces before her, and placed it back on the floor.

Each picture held a memory of her life. Each snapshot holding forever the memory of a particular event. Her life was spread out in front of her, smiling mockingly back at her.

She picked up the book labeled **Memories**, and opened up to the first page. There she saw three people smiling back at her, waving to her from the framed snapshot. Three large smiles, with arms slung around each other's backs, radiated towards her as she flipped through the next few pages.

People she had met in passing, people who left lasting marks on her, waved at her as she glanced past every last picture until she arrived on the last picture-covered page.

There she found one picture she had hidden away; she found one memory that she kept hidden from the world.

On the last page was a picture of a curly-haired Gryffindor with her arms slung around the neck of a mischievously-smiling red-head. Both parties were smiling happily as they looked into each other's eyes, never once breaking their gaze.

_But you can't see my scars, my scars are hidden below my skin._

Hermione closed the book, placing it on the nearby shelf. She began to gather up the pictures, gingerly placing the first few into a shoebox. As she made her way through the stacks of pictures, her anger and sadness grew as tears threatened to spill over.

Tears of a love lost.

Tears of a forgotten friend.

She began to throw the pictures in the box haphazardly as the pile grew thin. After putting the last photo in the box, she closed the lid, and put the box on the highest shelf of her closet.

Her long-lost memories once again put away, never to be revealed to anyone; only to be opened when the sadness and guilt of leaving grew too large.

Her pain was obvious; her sadness blatant.

_My scars are found on my broken heart._

As she closed the closet door with a sigh, she slid down the closed doorway until she reached the floor with a thud.

Tears threatened to spill as the pain of heartache overwhelmed her.

She pushed them away.

She would not cry for the one who let her go. She would not cry for the one who betrayed her heart, the one who betrayed her soul.

"**I cheated on you."**

Four simple words broke her heart into pieces. Four little words, never so simple, wiped away two years of happiness, two years of bliss.

She should have known her world was a fake; she should have known his love was a lie.

He took her heart willingly, threw it on the floor, stepped on it, and didn't even bother to help her pick up the pieces.

_My heart was shattered, but slowly the pieces mended..._

She ran.

It was all she could think of doing.

She had to leave London, leave the familiar streets filled with endless heads of red-haired, blue-eyed pranksters.

Far across country lines she rested, and made her home. Laden with one big secret, and a small box of a life once lived.

He left her shattered inside.

But he left her an even bigger reminder of the life passed.

Her memories could be shut away in a closet, but his face looked back at her everyday.

She leaned her head against the back of the door.

The tears came.

The door opened to reveal a small figure.

"Hi, Mommy."

_But the scars still remain, and the tears still flow._


	2. The Scars Begin to Fade

A/N: I was just going to leave the story where it was, but I was made aware that it wasn't clear, and it needed more. So, I decided to write another chapter. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue it, or stop here. Let me know what you think. If I do continue, I'll probably make the chapters longer, and more storylike, if that make sense. Read, review, let me know what you think, make me smile...you know the drill.

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Only days later she had the closet door opened once more, pictures spilling out like sheets of rain. 

A life once lived mocked her as she tried to cover up the never-ending, gut-wrenching pain she felt everyday, as one by one the years went by, and her true love moved on.

Unbeknownst to her, someone far away in Diagon Alley of London, England sat in his own flat, brooding over the memory of the girl he let get away.

Fred Weasley hated regret. He hated hurting the people he cared about, especially when his mistake was so avoidable, it hurt to even think about it. But Fred Weasley lived everyday with regret. Regret over the loss of a true love, regret over the infinite amount of passion-filled nights exchanged for one night of desperate desire.

No, Fred Weasley had made an unforgivable mistake, and now he was paying for it. He would pay for it everyday he drew breath. He deserved to pay for it everyday he lived. He never had the intention of hurting his love, but the smell of her perfume, and the seductive smile that played on her lips became too much to overcome.

He remembered going home the next morning, to the flat he shared with the best girl he knew. He was racking his mind for an excuse or a way to make everything better.

Nothing came but tears and hurt.

He made the mistake.

She was up when he got home. She was up with worry on her face.

"Where were you," she asked quietly, afraid to know the answer.

"I cheated on you."

Tears flowed down her cheeks as the dam behind her eyes opened, all her fears coming true. She never said a word to him. She got up out of her chair, and walked back into the bedroom.

He took a shower, washing away all memory of his mistake.

But the memories would never go away. The memories lasted forever.

She was gone when he stepped out of the shower. Her things were cleared out of every nook and cranny the small flat had to offer. Her presence completely erased from his surroundings.

Fred cried.

Fred never heard from her again. He harassed all of her friends, his parents, her parents, everyone she knew, he asked. Where did Hermione go? Have you heard from Hermione?

But no one had.

The days went by, and soon a year had passed. Fred stopped asking, and Fred stopped looking. He gave up on ever finding his love again.

Regret.

No, Hermione had no idea Fred missed her. She had no idea he regretted his decision. She thought he had set up home with the tramp he slept with that night, completely oblivious to his mistake.

"Mommy," the small girl called, pulling Hermione from her reverie.

Hermione walked into the kitchen where the little girl was sitting at the kitchen table petting an owl.

Wait…petting an owl. Hermione had cut off all ties she had with the magical world when she left. She never told her daughter that she was a witch.

Hermione's wand was in the box filled with old pictures.

Hermione hastily grabbed the letter from the owl, scanning the pages in front of her. It was from Harry. It explained how everyone missed her, and how she needed to come back. No one was getting along well without her, Fred especially.

Fred missed her.

Tears came as realization fell upon her. Fred deserved the chance to be a father. Hermione was going to give him that chance.

Two days, three owls, and five suitcases later, Hermione and her little girl were at the train station in London, England.

'Here goes nothing,' Hermione thought to herself as she stepped out into the busy streets of London, the little redhead trailing behind her.

_The scars began to fade as the life once lived came back…_


	3. Haunting Past

A/N: Okay, so I've finally decided to make this a full-blown story. I've changed the format a little, it's more prosey I guess, if that makes any sense to anyone. I'm sort of developing this story as I go since I didn't really have a plot line past the first chapter, so ideas and comments are most welcome. Please read and review, I love reviews they keep me writing, and make me update faster.

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Hermione grabbed her daughter's hand and quickly led her out into the open streets of London. She hailed a taxi and gave the address to the street that the Leaky Cauldron was situated on. Adah looked out the car window with excitement apparent on her small face. Her red curls were shining in the bright sun as the car came to a stop at the beginning of the street.

Hermione handed the driver some money and gathered her daughter and their belongings. The driver sped away from the curb as Hermione grabbed Adah's hand and began to walk her down the street. The two stopped in front of the shabby storefront and walked inside.

The familiar place washed over Hermione as memories came flooding back to her.

Memories of amazing dates, hilarious pranks, laughter-filled dinners, and so much more.

Everywhere she turned a new memory popped into her mind as she walked to the back of the restaurant. Everybody was looking at her with amazement; Hermione Granger had resurfaced in England. Six years of oblivion had been permanently erased as Hermione began a new segment in her life.

She had returned to England, and she wasn't leaving with another broken heart.

"Mommy," the small girl said as she tugged on Hermione's sleeve, "That glass is cleaning itself."

Hermione glanced over to where a waitress had a glass charmed to clean and replace itself on the table. Hermione took a deep breath as she sat her daughter down on a nearby chair.

"Adah, honey," Hermione began, "I have something I need to tell you. I'm a witch. I have a wand, and I can do magic with it. I didn't tell you because I made the mistake of running from my old life. I'm very sorry, I know now that I shouldn't have hid it from you, but I truly thought I was doing what was right for you."

Adah's big blue eyes opened wide as she looked around at the rest of the people gathered in the tavern. Multicolored robes and various pointed hats were scattered about the room as most of the people talked amicably between each other.

Tears welled in Hermione's eyes as she saw the hurt flicker on her daughter's face.

"I'm sorry, Adah. I know I tell you everything, but I really thought I was protecting you from being hurt."

"Is my dad a wizard?"

Hermione nodded her head and pulled Adah into a big hug. Adah soon returned the hug and wiped a few tears that had escaped from Hermione's eyes. Hermione pulled Adah off the chair and took her hand once more. She led Adah to the alleyway behind the Leaky Cauldron, and pulled out her wand. She said the spell and tapped the bricks, and soon Diagon Alley was looming in front of her.

She braced herself. Once she stepped through that archway, not only was her life changing, but she was throwing her daughter into a storm long-since coming.

Fred was going to be upset. Hermione knew that. Hermione knew Fred would have wanted to be a father.

'_As long as Adah isn't hurt.'_

With one small step, the life Hermione ran away from came flooding back in waves of crowds of laughing children and frantic parents.

Adah jumped up and down as Hermione tried helplessly to follow Adah's running body through the sea of people. Adah stopped every now and then to admire a store front or a random display of magical trinkets. Hermione Granger's daughter had inherited her mother's curiosity for knowledge and understanding, but on the flip-side Adah was a flourishing troublemaker who used an expansive amount of intelligence to torture unsuspecting classmates and, at selective moments, her own mother.

Hermione trailed behind as she finally caught up to her daughter in front of a brightly decorated store front. Inside the building were two tall red-heads helping customers throughout the shop.

There was Fred Weasley in all his glory.

She wasn't ready for this. She was lying to herself the whole time. She was not ready to confront her long-lost love again.

Her mended heart couldn't take another heartbreak. No, Hermione Granger wasn't brave that moment. No, Hermione Granger couldn't handle anymore pain.

With a quick flourish, the small six-year old girl was in Hermione's arms as she was dragged back to the Leaky Cauldron where Hermione promptly paid for a room.

Inside the room, Adah read one of her countless books she had packed with her for the trip to England. Hermione sat at the corner table appearing to be working on some long-forgotten papers.

However, Hermione's brain was on overdrive as she played over and over any possibility she could think of when the time came for meeting Fred once again. Her stomach tied in knots as she thought about him.

Seeing him again, even if just through a store window, brought back many repressed feelings that Hermione was unaware she even possessed anymore.

Feelings of hurt and pain were apparent; but so were feelings of desire and passion.

No matter how much Fred Weasley had hurt her, Hermione was still head-over-heels for him. She was still madly in love with him.

But her heart was severely broken, and the only person who could fix it had caused it to break.

--

The next morning loomed bright as Adah jumped up and down on her mother's bed in the dawning light.

"Up! Up, Mommy!"

More jumping.

Hermione groaned and pulled Adah down on her back and began to tickle her. Loud squeals escaped from the six-year old as her mother continued to tickle any exposed area. Hermione soon released the little girl with a huge smile on her face.

Adah lay prone on the bed with her curls messied in the bedspread. Her bright blue eyes were glassy from laughing so hard, and her smile was spread from ear to ear. Adah was an extremely happy child. She found the positive spin on everything, and she excluded no one from her many games. When Hermione threw Adah a birthday party, Adah invited everyone from her class, and cried for hours when two girls couldn't come. "They shouldn't miss all the fun."

Adah sat up and tried desperately to push Hermione out of the bed, however, her six-year old strength wasn't enough to nudge Hermione the few feet to the edge of the bed.

An hour later Hermione and Adah had showered, dressed, and eaten. They were now walking down the relatively bare road of Diagon Alley. Hermione took the time to look around the familiar place. She saw many of the old shops that were there when she was in school, even the old bookstore Flourish and Blotts. Hermione noticed a few new shops lining the street – a second quidditch shop, a café, and a knick-knack store.

Adah skipped happily along the deserted street as she read each sign she passed. She laughed heartily when she tripped over a discarded broom handle, and picked herself right back up.

Soon the mother-daughter pair was back in front of the flashy store window. 93 Diagon Alley loomed very large in front of Hermione as Adah tugged on Hermione's sleeve.

"Please, Mommy, I want to go in there. The stuff looks wicked cool."

Hermione hesitated for a brief moment, just long enough for Adah to let go of Hermione and walk sturdily into the shop, like she owned the place.

Hermione quickly rushed after her, yelling hushed words at the little girl.

"Adah, get back here now. You can't go in there."

Too late. The door was opened, and the bell rang overhead.

"Welcome to Wealsey's Wizarding Wheezes. I'm Fred Weasley, and I'm here if you need any assistance."

Fred walked around the first shelf to see his new patrons. He stopped suddenly when he took in a flustered Hermione following a small red-head.

Hermione with a small red-head?

No…


	4. Lost Memories, Old Pain

A/N: Oh my god, two updates in a week. This is crazy, it never happens. Well, everyone wanted another update, so I was very inspired to write. Finally the long awaited reunion scene. What's going to happen? I want to thank everyone who reviewed, especially the last chapter, I love all of you guys to death. The reviews were awesome, they made me feel so loved. Please, continue reviewing the story, give me suggestions or ideas. I'm always open to constructive criticism and any help you can give me. Well, enjoy the newest installment in the on going story.

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Fred stood frozen to the floor. There was Hermione, finally back in England after six years, following a small red-headed girl into the shop. He knew this was his daughter; he knew that he had screwed up even more then he imagined. 

He lost his child.

Hermione quickly straightened herself up as Fred walked into view. Adah continued on down the many rows of trinkets and pranks. Muffled ohs and ahs could be heard throughout the store as the two grown-ups stood rooted to the floor, just gazing at each other.

Fred cleared his throat and took a step forward, towards where Hermione stood. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but quickly closed it when Hermione looked down at the ground. Hermione's shoulders began convulsing quietly as she began to cry in the doorway.

Fred didn't move. He took a moment to look at the stranger in front of him. It had been six years since Hermione had left England. She was a stranger to him now; he had no idea if she was even close to the same girl who left him six years ago.

'She must have changed. She has a kid for god's sakes, Fred,' he mentally berated himself as he watched Hermione cry harder. Now sobs could be heard distinctly coming from her direction. Fred was at a lost for what to do. Should he comfort her?

'She'd probably beat me,' Fred laughed to himself. Fred resigned himself to just clearing his throat again, hoping to get her attention. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do.

For once in his life, Fred Weasley couldn't speak. He couldn't even muster an inappropriate joke to try and lighten the heavy, tense mood that had descended on the store.

Hermione looked up suddenly; her big brown eyes glistening with unshed tears. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she took a small step forward, towards Fred.

Tears fell silently down her face as Hermione opened her mouth to speak, "You hurt me so much, Fred. I was so devastated, you have no idea."

Fred's heart broke. He should have seen this coming, he had half-expected Hermione to jump into his arms and forgive him for chasing her away. He didn't know what to say. He just hung his head in defeat.

"I left because I didn't know what else to do," she continued, "I was pregnant, and you had just come home and told me you cheated on me. I was going to have your baby, and you had spent the night playing house with some tramp. I couldn't even look at you. I can't even look at you now. I'll just go, this was a mistake."

Fred finally found his voice and spoke just as she went to search for the small child, "Hermione, please don't go."

"I didn't even come back."

Fred's heart broke in two as she brushed past him quickly and found the small girl playing with fake wands.

"Mommy can I have a wand," Adah said as she shook the plastic one in her hand; it turned into a chicken, "Mommy, it's broken."

Hermione took the plastic toy from her daughter's hand and gathered her into her arms. She walked back out to the front of the store and flew past Fred, who stood dumbstruck next to the counter.

"Oh, and Fred," Hermione said as she turned around, "This is your daughter. She reminds me too much of you."

And with one last swish of her hair, Hermione disappeared down the road of Diagon Alley. Fred regained feeling again as she slammed the door shut behind her. Fred debated going after her. Should I go?

Fred made up his mind as he quickly ran out of the store and up the road in the direction she had gone. The morning rush had begun, and the road was quite busy.

Fred had let her go once, but he wasn't going to let her leave again. He was not going to give up on the best thing he ever had.

Fred ran up the street towards the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron. 'The Leaky Cauldron, of course, Hermione must be staying there,' Fred thought to himself as he quickened his pace towards the tavern. Fred reached the entryway with a stitch in his side, gasping for air. He walked towards the front desk when he saw a bushel of brown hair sweep past him. He followed the brown hair till he spotted flashes of red. Hermione was walking up the steps towards the rooms. Fred ran after her, taking the steps two at a time.

"Hermione, please, stop," he said as he reached the landing. Hermione turned around to find Fred standing 50 feet away from her, his face as bright as his hair.

"I have nothing to say to you," she said as she began to fit the key into the lock of her door.

"But I have something to say to you," Fred said as he walked towards her, "Please, all I ask is for you to hear me out. And if you don't, I will sit outside your door until you do listen to me."

Hermione toyed with the idea in her mind until she opened up the door completely. Adah ran inside, and turned on a Gameboy she had brought with her. Hermione faltered at the doorway another minute before walking swiftly inside, and shutting the door.

Fred was left on the wrong side of the door. His heart breaking even more with every passing minute.

"Fine, I'll just talk through the door, Hermione," Fred said as he leaned his head up against the doorframe, "I'm not going away, and I'm not letting you get away without an explanation, like last time."

Still nothing.

Fred sighed and began speaking through the wooden door, "Hermione, I made a mistake. I know that sounds really lame right now, but it's true. I never wanted to hurt you, I truly didn't. Work had been tough, and with our relationship moving so fast, I needed some time to de-stress. So, I went down to the Three Broomsticks to have a drink. I didn't mean to get so plastered, and I know it's lame to blame everything on alcohol, and I promise I'm not, but I was severely trashed. I couldn't see straight, all I wanted was to go home and crash in bed. As I was drowning my last shot, Katie Bell walked up to me, and started hanging all over me. She pulled me onto the dance floor and went crazy. We started making out right there. She started to pull me towards the door, moaning George in my ear. She thought I was my brother. I know at that point, I should have stopped. I should have stopped before that, but I wasn't thinking. I just kept following her, and I woke up the next morning with a bitch of a headache, in her flat. The entire walk home all I could think about was how I had betrayed you. You were the best thing that ever happened to me, Hermione, I never thought I would ever get a girl as perfect as you. You were, and still are, my everything. Not a day goes by that I don't regret that night, and everything surrounding it. I miss you so much. I'm so sorry I hurt you, I never wanted to. You have to believe me, I never wanted to treat you the way I treated you."

Hermione had stopped when Fred began talking. With each passing word, Hermione sank lower and lower towards the ground until she was seated on the floor. Tears were pooling down her face as Fred relayed every detail from that night.

One part of Hermione wanted to jump up, open the door, and kiss Fred Wealsey silly. The other part of her wanted to open the door, scream and yell, and punish Fred for everything he did to her the past six years. She wanted to punish him for all the pain and misery that he put her through.

She slowly stood up and walked towards the door. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the handle and opened the door. Fred Weasley stood in front of her, tears evident on his face.

"I'm not going to leave without seeing Harry, Ginny, and Ron. I'm staying here until then," she said, as Fred's face brightened a little, "I wouldn't be opposed to seeing you again, if you wished to talk about possibly spending time with your daughter."

Fred nodded his head, "Bye, Hermione."

He walked away.


	5. She Looked So Happy

A/N: Well, I've finally written the next chapter. I hope you all like it, bear in mind that I wrote this at 11:30 at night, so there may be some mistakes. If you point any out, I'll be happy to fix them. Well, the reviews have been awesome, I love all my faithful reviewers. Please continue reading and reviewing my story, remember everything you can or want to say is welcome.

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Hermione spent the rest of the morning with tears running slowly down her cheeks. At some point during her breakdown Adah had moved from her place on the bed to Hermione's lap on the floor. She put her arms around her mother's neck and held on as tight as she could. It was her way of telling her mother that she was everything to her, no matter if she left England with a father or not. 

Hermione knew, in her rational mind, that she needed to be stronger, especially for Adah. But that damn Fred Weasley had gotten to her once again, and she was damn pissed off. He had gotten her heart once again, and this time, he did something right for a change.

He came after her.

Hermione always thought, to herself at least, that if Fred had gone after her six years ago, they would be a happy family now.

But he hadn't. Fred had let Hermione leave; Fred had let Hermione's heart drop on the floor, and break into a thousand pieces.

Finally, Hermione wiped away the last escaped tear, and stood up, bringing Adah with her. Wiping off the dust on her pants, Hermione walked swiftly across the room to her suitcase. After a few minutes of fishing around, she produced a small, leather-bound book. She put the book in her messenger bag, grabbed a jacket that was slung over a chair, and made her way to the exit.

Adah followed her mother into the hallway and down the stairs. They sat at one of the tables in the tavern. Their table was in the back corner of the room, and it took a few moments for the waitress to come and take their order. Adah ordered a cheeseburger and Hermione ordered a salad, she wasn't that hungry. Their food came swiftly, and the little conversation they were having died down completely.

"Adah, I think we need to talk," Hermione said as she put her fork down.

Adah looked back at her mother, waiting for her to continue.

"A lot has happened since we've come back to England," Hermione began, "And I'm sure it's been pretty overwhelming for you. I'm totally prepared for you to ask any questions you want, about anything, and I promise to answer them as best I can. First, however, let me say a few things. Adah, you know I love you more than anything, and all I do is geared towards making your life the best it can possibly be. You make me so proud; you are an amazing girl, and the perfect daughter anyone could ask for. Anything you decide to do, with everything that's happened, I will totally support you. Now, I'm not sure if you heard what I told your father this morning-"

"I did," Adah said in a soft voice.

"Oh, well, if you wish to see him while we are here, I'll totally support you in that decision. You do deserve to have a father in your life, and I feel terrible for keeping you from him for so long. I will also support you if you wish not to see him, but keep in mind that he had no idea you existed until this morning when we walked into his shop. I never told him I was pregnant, so don't hold that against him. If he knew, I'm positive he would have been there for you. I know he'll be there for you now, if you want him to be."

Adah looked at her plate for a few minutes, just grasping everything her mother was telling her now. One day ago she had the perfect life, well pretty close to perfect, she had her mom, and that was all she needed. She never thought about her father that much, just the usual who is he stuff. She wondered what he looked like, if she looked like him, if she acted like him. But beyond that, nothing. She never really thought he would ever be in her life, and for some reason, she was perfectly fine with that. She didn't need him. But he was here now. She had him, at least relatively speaking. She could have a second parent who cared about her, just like her mom did. Now that it was here, she wondered why she didn't want it before. Now she felt the void in her heart, the void that would only be filled by another parent, because no matter how much her mother tried, she would never fill the role of a father. She could get pretty close, I mean she was Hermione Granger, but she could never get it perfectly.

"I want to see him."

Hermione smiled. She was glad that Adah had agreed to see Fred; she had secretly hoped her daughter said yes. Fred deserved that, if anything, he deserved to be a father.

--

The two finished their lunch soon after their conversation, and walked back to their room. Hermione reread Harry's letter, trying to find any mention of where he lived now. She decided that she would try and have dinner with him, Ginny, and Ron tonight. Soon she resigned to just sending him a short letter, asking him to dinner, by post owl.

Hermione paced her room while Adah read a book in the corner. She couldn't sit down and read or do anything, she was too anxious for his reply. Hedwig arrived shortly after, with Harry's scrawled reply. He said he'd love to go, and that Ron and Ginny would be there too. They would meet her at The Leaky Cauldron at seven.

Now Hermione had to wait for seven to get there. She decided that she would have to find someone to watch Adah; she wanted to have a dinner where she could talk without having to worry about her six-year old daughter.

Seven rolled around, and Hermione still had no place to bring Adah, so they both got dressed and made their way to the restaurant downstairs. Hermione spotted her three old friends all too quickly, the two red-heads being a quick give-away. She walked over to where they were seated, with Adah in tow.

Harry was the first to see Hermione walking towards them, and he gasped when he saw a small red-head following behind her. Soon both Ginny and Ron saw the two people walking towards them.

"Hi guys," Hermione managed to squeak out as she fidgeted at the head of the table.

After a few more awkward moments of silence, Harry broke out of his trance and greeted his long-lost friend, "Hermione I can't believe you're here. Sit down, sit down."

Hermione smiled at her best friend, and took the seat he offered her. She pulled a chair from a nearby table, and placed it next to her so Adah could sit down.

"Hermione, it's so good to see you again. I missed you so much," Ginny finally said as she grabbed Hermione's hand on the table. Ginny's smile was huge and genuine.

"Hermione, you have a kid," Ron said tastelessly.

"Thanks for stating the obvious, Ron," Hermione said with a smile, she had finally calmed down, and her nerves were in check. "Some things never will change."

Everyone at the table laughed as they soon began to converse like they hadn't missed a beat. They began to act like there wasn't a six-year hiatus between them, and that there wasn't a six-year old mystery sitting at the same table as them.

After the food was ordered, Ginny finally asked the question everyone was dying to ask, "Hermione, do you mind explaining to us everything that happened six years ago?"

Hermione put down her glass of water and took a deep breath, "As you know, I dated Fred for two years. I dated him my seventh year and the year after that. I was very much in love with him. You also know that I moved in with him. I was head-over-heels for him. Well, six years ago, Fred spent the night out. I didn't know where he was, he hadn't told me. I tried not to panic, so I called George because sometimes Fred goes over there and spends the night. Fred wasn't at George's. My mind immediately began to think the worst. I worried all night. The next morning Fred walked in to our flat, disheveled, and wearing the same clothes he had on the night before. I just looked into his eyes and I knew. His last four words to me were 'I cheated on you.' I could feel my heart break into a million pieces. I couldn't stay there, so while Fred was in the shower, I packed up my things and went to my parents' house. I told them not to tell anyone I was there. I left three days later and moved to Boston. I've been living there ever since. It was the same night Fred spent out that I found out I was pregnant. I never told anyone, not even my parents."

No one spoke for a long time.

The silence was deafening. No one moved.

Finally Ginny spoke up, "We are so sorry, Hermione, we should have been there for you. You should have been able to come to us. I can't believe Fred did that to you, he never said why you left. We all thought you two had a fight, we didn't realize he cheated on you. Well, now you're back, and we are going to make it right. This time, don't run. We missed you."

Ginny stood up and walked around the table to give Hermione a big hug. "You mean everything to us, Hermione. We want you to be happy."

Everyone in turn gave Hermione a hug, and sat back down to enjoy their dinner. They started, again, to talk like old friends, never missing a beat. They talked about Harry and Ginny's wedding and Ron's sorry love life. They talked about the boy's auror jobs, and Ginny's mediwitch internship. Soon the conversation got around to Adah, who had been sitting quietly at the end of the table, eating her hot dog.

"Well, Adah is six-years old, and she's the best thing in my life," Hermione said with a huge smile.

Everyone waited for Adah to say a few things about herself, "Well, I like to read, (Everyone laughed.) and I love to play my Gameboy. Um, I like most animals, especially dogs, and school isn't that bad, I kinda like it. I love funny jokes and pranks, (Everyone laughed again.) and my mom's the best thing in my life."

The night ended soon after when Adah began falling asleep on her mother's shoulder.

"Well, I should be putting her to bed," Hermione said as she looked at the table of her friends.

"Well, don't be a stranger. Owl us tomorrow, we'll all go and do something," Harry said as the four adults stood up from their seats, "We missed you so much, Hermione."

"I missed you guys too."

Just as they were about to depart, Hermione produced a small book from her bag. She gave it to Harry before leaving with a small wave.

Harry glanced at the book she had placed in his hands. It was a small, leather-bound book with gold trim. On the front cover was a single word in script, Memories. He opened the first few pages to find pictures of himself and his Hogwarts friends. As he flipped through the pages a picture fell out. He held it up to get a better view. He saw a picture of Hermione with her arms slung around the neck of a mischievously-smiling red-head. Both parties were smiling happily as they looked into each other's eyes, never once breaking their gaze.

She looked so happy.


	6. Maybe Things Will Get Better

A/N: Alright, I've finally found time to update this story. I feel bad for keepin all of my wonderful reviewers waiting for so long, especially after the last chapter, which I know was horrible. I do plan to fix that chapter a little, wasn't my best work. I hope this chapter makes up for it. As far as Adah goes, I realize I didn't make her sound like a six-year old at all. I hope I did better in this chaper, let me know in a review. As far as Hermione telling Harry, Ginny, and Ron about Fred cheating, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I'm glad people are voicing theirs. I feel that Hermione would tell at this point, it's been six years, and she left without a word. She needed a good reason for leaving and then coming back with a six-year old, but that's mine opinion, so there ya go. Well, my reviewers have been awesome, and I really hope everyone continues to reveiw, please. No review is too small, stupid, or mean (criticism is always welcome). I do like long reviews, so write what you feel, babble on. I do try and reply to every review, so keep 'em coming.

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"You look like crap," George said to Fred as he walked into the store the next morning, "You look like you've been up all night."

Fred didn't respond, he just took another sip of his coffee and gave George a shrug.

"You did stay up all night?"

Another shrug.

"Not good, Fred. What happened? Your sorry love life get to you again?"

Fred stared into space awhile longer before brushing past a confused George to open the store up properly.

"Ignoring me isn't going to work this time, Fred," George said as he pushed Fred back to the counter, away from the Open/Close sign on their store door.

"She came back."

"She came back? You're going to have to be a little more detailed," George said, "I'm not psychic or anything."

Fred didn't reply, he just gave George a look. A look that said, 'You idiot, think for once in your life.'

So George thought a moment more, and realization came over his features. "She came back." George sat down next to Fred at the counter; he was dumbstruck at the news.

Hermione Granger had come back to England.

"She has a kid, my kid," Fred said as he threw away the paper coffee cup and began to prepare the store for the day.

George didn't know what to say; he never thought this would happen.

"She has a kid, my kid, and she didn't even tell me. I can't believe she'd do that to me. I know I made a mistake, and that I deserve all the pain that goes along with it, but she kept my daughter from me. I would never have shirked my responsibilities of being a father, Hermione should have known that," Fred's anger was rising with each passing moment.

"Well, she was upset, people rarely do the right things when they're upset," George replied matter-of-factly.

Fred glared at him.

"Not the time," George said as he began to help Fred with the shop preparations, "I got it."

"She shouldn't have done that. It's unforgivable."

"As unforgivable as cheating on her? I don't think you should be passing such harsh judgment against Hermione," George said as he finally flipped the Close sign to Open.

Fred just stood at the front counter speechless. George had a point, 'Damn, George is never supposed to have a point.'

--

"Mommy," Adah said as she poked her mother awake.

"What sweetie," Hermione asked groggily, as she began to wake.

"I'm hungry."

Hermione laughed as she began to remove herself from the warm covers of her bed. Those covers felt like her only protection against the life she had been thrust back into. She was facing years of mistakes, and years of broken hearts.

Today was going to be a long day.

Hermione quickly showered and dressed, and her and Adah made their way downstairs to breakfast. While eating, Hermione received an owl from Ginny. Ginny offered to take Hermione shopping, to catch up. Hermione contemplated the offer for a moment, and decided to take Ginny up on the offer. Hermione wrote a quick reply, and sent the same owl away.

"Mom, what are we going to do today," Adah asked as she slurped on her chocolate milk.

"Oh no,' Hermione thought, 'What am I going to do with Adah?'

She thought for a few minutes before deciding that she was going to see if Fred could watch Adah. She needed to start making up for her mistakes, and her biggest one was keeping Adah from Fred.

"No day better than today," Hermione said aloud. Adah gave her a funny look as she continued eating. Hermione shrugged it off.

As soon as Hermione got back to her room she sat down and wrote a letter to Fred, asking him to baby-sit for the day. She said how extremely sorry she was about keeping Adah away for six years, and how sorry wasn't ever going to cut it. She wanted to start rectifying her mistakes, and the first thing she was going to do was release the hold she had on Adah, and let her meet her father.

Hermione received Fred's reply an hour later. The letter had one single word on it, yes. Hermione shivered, Fred was even more upset then she realized. Fred usually elaborated a little more.

--

"She's going to be here with my daughter in a few minutes," Fred said to George as he nervously paced around the store, "I'm going to need the rest of the day off. You'll be okay running the shop alone, right?"

"I'll be fine, brother, calm down please," George said as he tried to stop Fred from pacing a hole in the floor, a few minutes later the bell rung overhead as Hermione walked in with Adah.

An awkward silence fell over the room.

Fred didn't move or say anything, his entire body had lost its ability to function. There was Hermione, again, standing in front of him, hanging onto the hand of a little girl who looked exactly like him.

"Well, I need to meet Ginny in ten minutes so I guess I should be going relatively quickly," Hermione said quickly as she stared at the ground.

"Right, well, have a nice time," Fred said as he took a step forward.

"Fred, this is Adah. I hope you two have a nice time, and Fred, don't let her get into any trouble, I mean it," Hermione said sternly as she knelt to face Adah.

"Have fun with Fred, okay," Hermione said. Adah shook her head.

"Give Mommy a hug," Hermione said as she held out her arms. Adah ran into the stretched out arms and squeezed as tight as a six-year old could.

Hermione waved good-bye as she walked back out the door.

"Well, Adah," Fred began, he was finding it very difficult to talk to the little girl in front of him, "I'm Fred Weasley, you can call me whatever you like, but Fred's fine with me."

Adah eyed him strangely as the grown man fidgeted in front of her, 'Okay' was the only reply Fred received.

"So I was thinking we could first get some lunch, and then maybe walk around Diagon Alley for a little while. Does that sound good," Fred asked as he picked Adah's book bag up off the floor.

"This thing weighs a ton, what do you keep in here, bricks?"

Adah shrugged, "Just some of my books."

"Should have known," Fred said as he deposited the bag behind the counter, "Well, I guess we should be going."

Fred and Adah walked out onto the bustling streets of Diagon Alley, and made their way towards a small café by Gringotts. They were seated quickly, and sat at the small booth in the same awkward silence that had resonated in the shop.

"Well, they have lots of really good food here," Fred said as he opened his menu, "What kind of food do you like?"

Adah glanced over the menu before replying to Fred, "Well, I really like chicken fingers and French fries, but Mom doesn't let me get them that much."

"Well, consider it your lucky day Adah, today you can get chicken fingers."

Adah smiled at Fred as she began to color with the crayons and paper the waitress had given her.

Fred smiled back. 'At least she's acknowledging I exist know,' Fred thought as he ordered for himself and Adah.

The meals came about twenty minutes later and Fred started to dig in, he hadn't eaten anything all day, his nerves wouldn't allow it. After a few moments of chowing, Fred noticed that Adah was staring at her plate with a funny look. Soon she picked up the green piece of parsley, or whatever that green plant thing is restaurants garnish plates with, placed it in her napkin, folded the napkin into a ball, and place the balled napkin behind the ketchup bottle where it was out of sight.

Fred watched with amusement as she finally took a bite of her food.

"Why'd you do that," Fred asked as he began eating again.

"I don't like green food," Adah replied as she devoured her chicken fingers and fries.

"You didn't have to eat it," Fred replied.

"Yea, but it was touching the fries."

Fred smiled, maybe this fathering thing wasn't going to be so bad.


	7. Blissful Past, Torturous Present

A/N: I've finally found time to write my next chapter, and I'm hoping I didn't make too many people mad with the longer wait. This chapter, I hope has a little more action, well at least it reveals a lot more than the last two, which were more filler chapters. Well, again, all of my reviewers are absolutely amazing, and I love them. Please read and review, anything you want to say is very much appreciated. I only want to improve, so give me what you got.

* * *

Hermione walked out of the joke shop with a small shiver as Fred's slight, mischievous smile was burned into her brain. Leaving him standing there without jumping him was getting harder every moment. She began to make her way up the crowded street, only glancing at the shops she passed, her mind lost in thought.

_Hermione couldn't remember ever laughing as much as she had that night. Fred had his arm lazily wrapped around Hermione's waist, his finger rubbing slow circles on her hip bone, right above the edge of her jeans. She had a radiant smile on her face, her hair glowing in the setting sun._

_The two walked along the road in near silence, only commenting every so often on a funny shop display or strange person walking by. Mostly, they were enjoying each other's company, the beautiful sight of dusk, and the comfortable silence that had fallen over them._

_Fred looked down at Hermione, his trademark grin adorning his face as he pulled Hermione closer to him, and placing a kiss on the top of her forehead. They walked a few more minutes in the comfortable silence as Hermione snuggled closer to the warmth of Fred's body._

_She looked back up at the man standing next to her. A few years ago she would have laughed so hard she would have shed some tears if someone suggested Hermione and Fred as a couple. She just wouldn't have thought a formerly annoying prankster would be the perfect man for her. She didn't think that until his immeasurable Weasley charm overtook her, charm sorely lost on Ron._

"_Hermione," Fred said softly as they neared his flat, "These past two years have been absolutely amazing. I have never felt this happy with anyone my entire life."_

_Hermione smiled with a faint blush rising on her cheeks. She kissed him softly, replying that she felt the same way._

"_I never would have thought you would be this mature, Fred," Hermione said as they stopped at this door._

"_I've always enjoyed shocking people," Fred replied cheekily, "but I'm surprisingly mature, well I can act like it sometimes at least. I have many layers."_

"_Many layers of something I don't think is maturity," Hermione replied as she fidgeted uncomfortably outside the door. She had never been in Fred's apartment after a date; he usually brought her back to her flat, or Gryffindor tower the previous year._

"_Want to come in for a little while," Fred asked with a hint of nervousness apparent in his voice, which squeaked a little in apprehension._

_Hermione's smile grew wide as she motioned for him to allow her inside. He offered her coffee after he kicked his shoes off at the front door. She accepted as she slowly drank in the entire flat. It was rather disorganized, but not overly messy. The eclectic pieces of mismatching furniture gave you the overwhelming sense that a Weasley twin inhabited this apartment, which in fact was inhabited by both the infamous Weasley twins. The living room was rather large, and held a couch, two large chairs, and a rather big entertainment center. The kitchen was off to the right and the back hallway was towards the far left corner of the room._

_Hermione was so enthralled by the actual complexity of the room, she had not noticed Fred walk back into the room with two mugs of steaming coffee. She graciously accepted the hot liquid as Fred motioned for her to sit on the couch. They drank the coffee in comfort as the conversation between them flowed nicely, both answering with equally witty and sarcastic comments._

_Hermione was drawn to Fred's mystifying blue eyes as she drained the last sip of her coffee. She saw so much emotion built up behind his eyes, emotions that she hadn't bothered to read the entire date. But with his eyes readily staring into hers, she delved deep into the soul of Fred Weasley. Fred placed a small, chaste kiss on the side of her lips as she was torn away from his confusing, emotion-filled eyes. She deepened the kiss as she closed her eyes and ran her hands through Fred's long red hair. Soon Fred's hands were running up and down her back as his tongue begged for admittance into her mouth. Hermione complied with him as she pulled him closer and moved herself closer to him on the couch._

_Fred pulled away for air as he gently pulled her onto his lap. He dived at the soft skin between her neck and shoulders as she laughed lightly into his hair, her hands roaming near the hem of his shirt. He brought his face to meet hers as he met her luscious lips in another mind-blowing kiss, filled with passion. Hermione matched his force with an equal amount of passion, an amount of passion she didn't know she had or ever felt before._

_As his hands danced along the hemline of her shirt, hesitating a moment before plunging underneath, feeling the soft skin beneath, Hermione never moved, prompting Fred to run his hands against the supple skin of her back. Their motions began to become more passion-driven as she pulled roughly at his shirt, yanking it over his head. She ran her hands over his muscular chest, stopping slowly as she traced the lines of his defined abs._

_They moved together in a wave of heat and passion as Hermione's shirt soon joined Fred's on the floor. Hermione's rationality gone long ago, didn't protest as the clasp of her bra came undone as Fred's belt fell with a clunk on the wooden floor. Fred's hands roamed freely across Hermione's exposed top-half as his fingers wound their way to the button of her jeans, all the while his mouth never leaving her skin. Her jeans came off moments later as her own hands found their way to Fred's jeans and pulled them off. With only a scant amount of clothes remaining on their sweaty bodies, they made their way to Fred's bedroom at the end of the hall. Deep passion filled both partners as a picture frame crashed to the floor with a deafening crunch that went unnoticed by both._

_As they made their way to Fred's bed, all remaining clothing fell away as Fred moved slowly against Hermione, and suddenly stopping. Hermione opened her eyes and said, "I want this."_

_Heat erupted as they made love. They both pinnacled in ecstasy as they fell apart, gasping for breath. Hermione looked over at Fred, his chest rising and falling rapidly._

"_I will never hurt you, Hermione. I love you."_

_Hermione pulled him in for one last kiss, and with her last wave of energy she whispered a soft, "I love you, too," as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber._

Hermione slowly drifted back from her reverie. The next morning Fred asked her to move in with him, she readily complied. She was on cloud nine; she was living a fairy tale. Only one short month later, though, her fairy tale came to a crashing halt as the stick turned blue and Fred admitted his infidelity.

Bad memories always followed the good ones.

Bad memories tortured her, but the good ones made living impossible because those two years had never been replicated. Hermione had never felt that true bliss ever again, and she doubted she ever would. Hermione would never have a night of that much passion and love with anyone but Fred; he was the only one who brought out that true, vulnerable Hermione. He melted her walls with a single glance; he scaled the boundaries with a small joke and a hearty laugh.

"Hermione," Ginny yelled across the street as Hermione stopped at the small café.

The girls shared a strong embrace as they began to walk back down the road. They shopped for a few hours, talking like old friends once again. They covered every possible topic, save one, before lunch. They talked about Ron, Harry, the wedding, the marriage, everyone's job, and even little Adah. However, they both skirted the one topic burning into both of their minds.

"Hermione," Ginny stated in a serious tone as they were seated in the restaurant, "We can't ignore the topic any longer."

Hermione nervously played with her napkin as she looked down at the table.

"Why did you come back?"

Hermione pondered the question for a minute, thinking of a sufficient reply. When none came, she answered the honest truth.

"I missed him."

Tears welled and threatened to spill over as she sipped her water. She could lie all she wanted and say Harry's letter made her come, but it would all be just that, a lie. A lie wasn't going to rid her of the gut-wrenching pain she felt everyday. One lie wasn't going to give her back her old life. A lie wasn't going to make her forget him, or get over him any quicker. A lie made her deny the truth, making it harder every day to accept the truth and truly deal with it. No, the lie would make everything worse because the gnawing feeling she felt in her heart would never get any better if she didn't confront the truth.

"I know you still love him. I knew the minute I saw you last night. You really are tough, Hermione, but you can't hide from me," Ginny replied as she placed her hand comfortingly on top of Hermione's.

The tears came.

"I can't live like this anymore, Ginny. I can't stop thinking about him; I can't stop remembering all of the good times we shared. I want to hate him, I want to hurt him and punish him for all the pain he put me through, but every time I go to yell at him he just smiles, and everything melts away. Every time I see him my mind is telling me to walk away, show him what it feels to be betrayed, but my heart is telling me to forget everything and kiss him senseless. I'm in a losing battle, Ginny, and I don't know what I'm fighting for anymore."

"You're fighting to keep hope alive," Ginny replied, "You're fighting to remember everything he did to make you smile, so you can have the hope that everything could be fixed. You're fighting to remember all the bad times, so you can have the hope that you'll have the strength to hurt him like he hurt you. But in the end, you're fighting to stay around for a second chance."

Hermione lost complete control, sobbing loudly into her napkin as Ginny's words sunk in. She could lie, again, to herself and say she wanted to forget Fred, but in reality, she wanted nothing more than to remember what his body felt like against hers, what his kiss felt like. She wanted to remember the good times because they made her feel like their was hope for a second chance.

She wanted to have Fred again, no matter the cost.

--

Adah and Fred finished their meals in good spirits, finally falling into an enjoyable flow of conversation. Fred paid for the meals as the father-daughter pair made their way out of the restaurant. They walked together down the streets of Diagon Alley. Adah was still enthralled by all the colorful shop displays outside the various shops of the strip. Fred watched his daughter with amusement as her face lit up at every interesting thing she saw. She reminded him a lot of Hermione.

_After his little tryst with Katie, Fred walked back to his and Hermione's flat numb. He had betrayed the most beautiful, interesting, perfect witch he had ever met. As his mind went from excuse to excuse, it couldn't help settling on the good memories, the memories concerning how amazing Hermione was._

_Fred's mind ran through all of the small things he noticed about Hermione, and loved. He loved how when she was deep in thought she would chew her bottom lip softly and twist her hair absent-mindedly. He loved how when she laughed, genuinely laughed, she snorted a little. It was really cute in his opinion, and it was a really girly snort. He loved how you could tell when she was angry because her eyes would turn to black, and her eyebrows would reach so high on her forehead they got lost in her bushy hair. He loved how she fidgeted with her hands when she was nervous, and how her dimples became more defined the happier she was._

_Fred loved every little bit of her. He loved watching her admiring something as they were walking by. He loved how every new thing she encountered brought a bright smile to her face as she became entranced with whatever it was she had encountered. He loved her curiosity._

Her curiosity was what Fred saw in little Adah. Fred went to glance back down at the Quidditch display that Adah had been looking at, to see his daughter, looking ever so much like his beloved Hermione. But Fred didn't see the bouncy red curls in front of him, and as he scanned the entire area around him, he realized he didn't see the bouncy red curls anywhere.

Panic racked through Fred's body as he began to search franticly around for the little girl. He began to yell her name into the crowds of people as he started to walk towards his shop. He looked into every store he passed, calling out Adah's name every few seconds.

'Please, I can't lose her,' Fred begged internally as he searched everywhere for any sign of the bouncy red-head. Fred practically sprinted the rest of the way to the joke shop to enlist George's help in finding the lost child.

He ran inside and as soon as the door jingled overhead, he yelled out, "George, I need your help. Adah's missing."

Fred received no reply as he looked up at the counter, finally taking in the people in his store. His eyes fell upon only one person at the front counter, however, and she didn't have red hair.

Hermione's face dropped as panic enveloped her mind.

And all Fred thought was, 'Why is she back early?'


	8. Happy Ending, Not Quite

A/N: Ah, I can't begin to apologize for such a long wait for this next chapter. My life has currently been consumed by Dostoyevsky, chemical formulas, the Constitutional Convention, and a lot of other things I wish I didn't have to think about, like the fact school starts in a week and I still have so much work to do. Well, enough of my sad, end of the summer blues, I've finally found the time to write the next chapter, and here it is. I hope it was worth the wait. Please read and review. Praise it, scorn it, criticize it, or merely ask me why the hell I'm actually doing my homework. Well, no matter. I love reviews, they are my life-blood, and if I hadn't gotten so many on the last chapter I probably wouldn't have written this now. Well, enjoy.

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"Hermione," was all Fred was able to muster as tears formed in her brown eyes. He couldn't even muster an apology or explanation. All he wanted to do was ask her why she had come back early, with that look of nervousness mixed with pure excitement and, maybe, _lust_.

Hermione flew into a rage, her face bright red, as she walked right towards Fred until she was standing less than an inch from his face. Her hands were clenched into fists as she brought her hand up to hit Fred for losing the most precious person, her daughter, but she brought her hand down in defeat. She knew she couldn't hit Fred, she could never do that. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hurt him.

"Fred! I trusted you with the most important thing in this world, my daughter. Your daughter for god's sake, Fred! I thought you had changed. I thought you were mature now, responsible. I came back thinking I could give you a chance to be a father. I was an idiot. I am an idiot to think you could have possibly changed for the better. You will always be that immature prankster who would rather play a joke than do anything remotely productive or responsible. Well, congratulations Fred, you have officially guaranteed you immature status. You won't ever change, will you? You will always hurt me, Fred. And here I am running back at the first mention of a possible second chance with you. You were taking care of Adah, and you wanted to be a part of her life, and here I am, stupid me, thinking, hm, maybe we could be something again. Maybe he won't hurt me like last time. Maybe this time I'll get my happy ending; I'll get my love story. Nope, again you prove me wrong, Fred. You won't ever give me a happy ending."

Fred was speechless. He knew he deserved this, but anger surged through his body as Hermione accused him of being immature and irresponsible. He may have been back then, but he had changed, even if he hadn't done much to prove her wrong.

"I have changed, Hermione, I have. I own my own business-"

"A joke shop," Hermione interjected with disgust.

"Well, whatever it is, it is still a fledging business that I have successfully run for seven years. No matter what you say you can never take that away from me. I didn't try and lose Adah, Hermione. It was an accident. One minute she was looking at a shop display and the next minute she was gone. I looked away for a second. I swear. I've only been with Adah a couple hours, and already I'm in love with her. She's my daughter too, Hermione, and I don't want anything to happen to her either."

"Well, if you love her so much then you would have paid more attention to her, Fred. I should never have come back, I should never have thought you could change. You will never do the right thing, will you? You'll always be the cheating scum who broke my heart and never tried to fix it."

"Never fixed it! I tried to fix it, Hermione. I apologize more ways then I can count. What did I not do to try and fix it, huh? C'mon, Miss. Brilliant Gryffindor Bookworm, what could I have possibly done to fix it?"

"You could have come after me," Hermione replied quietly as she turned and walked back towards the counter to grab her bag, "and if you don't mind, I have to go find _my _daughter."

Fred didn't stop her, even though he knew he should have. He knew deep down in his heart of hearts that he should have stopped her, should have tried to explain why he didn't find her. He should have explained how he looked for a very long time, how he asked everyone if they knew where she had gone. But he knew that wouldn't make a difference. He still had made the mistake, and nothing at this point would fix it.

'No,' Fred thought, 'That isn't enough. I will fix it. I will do anything I possibly can to fix it. She came back early because she thought there was still something between us. I'm going to show her, somehow, that I can be the reliable family guy. I'm going to show her that I will never hurt her again, that she can trust me.'

With that Fred turned around and made his way out the door.

He was going to give her a happy ending.

--

Hermione ran franticly up and down the streets of Diagon Alley. She looked left, right, up, down, and every other direction for a small red-headed girl. She looked in every store, every café, every nook and cranny she could find, but no Adah could be found anywhere.

Panic had consumed all of Hermione's being as she searched for the missing child. She couldn't think of anything reasonable to do but run around like a madman. Hermione had always been able to keep her head, but panic had overtaken her at the thought her baby girl was hurt.

'Oh, god, please,' Hermione begged silently, 'Please don't let her be hurt.'

She needed help. She needed to find someone to help her search for the small child; she couldn't do it alone. Ginny. Hermione ran to the store Hermione had left her friend in, hoping to whatever spirit lived above that Ginny's shopping habits hadn't somehow evaporated over the years. To Hermione's relief, for once today, Ginny was still present in the small shop.

"Ginny," Hermione yelled across the crowded store room, "I need your help, Adah's missing."

Ginny dropped whatever it was she was looking at and followed Hermione out the door.

"She's missing," Ginny questioned as she tried to calm Hermione down.

"Yes, Fred ran into the store and said he couldn't find her. Oh, Ginny, I'm such an idiot. Why did I leave Adah with Fred? I mean, it's Fred."

"He's her father, Hermione. It only makes sense that he should take care of her," Ginny replied as she hugged her friend tight, "Don't worry, we'll find her. She can't have gone far. I mean, she's half Fred. There's no way to number the amount of times Fred and George managed to go missing when they were young."

Hermione smiled, thankful that Ginny was there with her.

But Ginny wasn't Fred, and for some reason Hermione had an overwhelming feeling that she wanted Fred there to make her feel better.

--

Fred searched everywhere for what seemed like hours. He looked in every store he and Adah had patronized only a few short hours before. Before long he was back in front of the store where he had last seen Adah, the Quidditch shop. He suddenly realized that she probably went inside to further examine the different things the shop had on display. Hoping that she had her mother's attention span, and not his, he walked into the store.

And there, not six feet in front of him, was a small girl with red curls looking at the new racing broom on display.

"Adah," he said loudly. She turned around with a mischievous smile that reminded him of someone he knew. Her cheeks glowed red in embarrassment as she realized she had been in the store for quite a long time, unsupervised.

Fred rushed towards her and enveloped her into a large hug, picking her up off the ground in the process. "Don't ever run off again like that. You scared me half to death."

"How can someone be half dead," Adah asked, as if nothing had happened, "And can you really be scared to death?"

Fred just laughed as he carried the small girl back to the joke shop. She chattered away happily as he walked with her, his heartbeat slowly reaching its normal pace again.

"I'm so glad your safe, Adah," Fred whispered softly into her extensive amounts of curly hair.

--

Hermione was having no luck finding Adah, so she decided the only logical thing to do would be to ask Fred for his help and ask him exactly where he lost her. So Hermione and Ginny began the trek towards the joke shop. With every passing step Hermione's anger boiled higher and higher. As they reached the door Ginny was sure Hermione would implode right there on the doorstep.

But as the bell rang overhead, Hermione' ears meet with the most welcomed sound, the sound of a six-year old's happy squeal.

Hermione ran towards her little girl and enveloped her into such a tight hug, Fred was sure oxygen was being cut off to the small girl's head. Tears poured down Hermione's face as she realized that her daughter was safe and unharmed.

Hermione soon released Adah and looked at her with a very unpleasant stare, "Adah Joelle Granger! What were you thinking wandering off like that! You could have been hurt, or kidnapped, or something much worse. You know better than to do that, you scared me half to death, little girl."

"I'm sorry, Mum," Adah said quietly as she looked down in disgrace. Hermione watched the little girl squirm under gaze, and finally decided that maybe right now wasn't the perfect time to punish a child who was really acting like a normal six-year old. Well a normal six-year old spawned from Hermione Granger and Fred Weasley. Hermione gave Adah another hug, to show her that she was no longer mad. Adah's face brightened and hugged her mother tight.

"Mum, how can someone be half dead?"

Both Hermione and Fred laughed.


	9. Operation Prince Charming

A/N: So, I wanted to update before school started, but unfortunately that didn't happen. I apologize for the long wait. This chapter is kind of short, but it's only because the purpose of it is more filler than action. Some things need to be revealed before the next chapter. So, I see the next chapter being the final one, maybe one more after that. So, read and review, and maybe I'll update faster. I got the most reviews I've ever gotten for a chapter on the last one, so I hope to get even more, please tell me whatever. Love it, hate it, criticize it, tell me what you think.

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Adah fell asleep early that night; she had had a very busy day. Her face shined with a smile as she lay on her bed in the hotel room. Hermione sat in a chair across from the bed; she was wrapped in a large blanket, sipping a hot cup of coffee.

Thoughts ran through Hermione's mind like a fast-moving picture screen. The images from before flashed through her mind, reminding her of the good times, the good memories. Every hour made living harder, every hour she knew he was still out there, wishing above all else to be a father.

Fred made living her life hard.

Fred was the reason she lived.

Adah stirred in her sleep as another good dream made her face lighten with a bright smile, her red hair sprayed across the pillow, framing her delicate little face. Hermione smiled as she watched her daughter sleep.

A constant reminder.

Adah was a constant reminder of a past relationship, a relationship Hermione foolishly thought would work; a relationship Hermione wished could work.

Hermione never got what she wished for.

The coffee cup clanged on the floor as Hermione felt tears slip down her cheeks, and her body rack with sobs.

Her happy ending was gone.

Her Prince Charming wasn't going to come save her on his white horse.

--

Fred didn't sleep that night; he tossed and turned while his mind was muddled with thoughts of _her_.

She was the most perfect girl he had ever met. She was the most beautiful woman in every room in the entire world. He had told her that once, when some idiot had made a degrading comment about Hermione being an ugly bookworm.

_He saw her across the Great Hall. Her slight frame was once again bent over a large textbook, as she took notes for some pointless assignment. He watched her for awhile, from far away, as he didn't have the courage to approach her, she was almost off-limits. So he consented to watching her from afar. He saw the sun hit her hair perfectly; it made her appear like an angel, with a glowing halo of golden-brown hair. He saw her bite at her lower lip as she concentrated; he saw her twirl absent-mindedly at the curl behind her left ear. He didn't see, however, the tall boy approach her with a large grin on his face._

"_You know, those books think you're ugly too," he said to her as he towered behind her, " Hiding behind them only makes you less attractive, no guy wants to date a bookworm."_

_She turned around to see him laughing with his friends, tears formed in her eyes. He left laughing, followed by a whole group of cackling friends._

_He saw her head fall down in defeat, her neck turn red in embarrassment, and the tears slip silently down her cheeks. He approached her from the side, and sat down next to her. He didn't touch her, or say anything for a moment. He just sat there with her, hoping his presence would put her a little at ease._

_It didn't, she cried harder. He put his arm around her in comfort, and whispered in her ear._

"_That guy's an idiot, you're the most beautiful girl in the entire school, hell you're the most beautiful girl in the whole world."_

_She smiled, and sniffled a little. He hugged her tight, and got up to leave._

"_Fred."_

_He turned back._

"_Thanks."_

_He smiled._

The good memories were even harder than the bad ones. She was perfect; she was smart, beautiful, witty, and sarcastic. She could laugh at his jokes, and understand the intelligence it takes to make most of his joke products, she may have thought they were immature, but she respected the work it took to make them.

She always believed in him.

She was the only one who ever believed in him, whole-heartedly believed in him.

He had screwed up, he had messed up the only good thing he ever had.

Fred jumped out of bed the next morning, a plan thoroughly formed in his head. He was going to get her back; she was going to be his.

--

Adah and Hermione woke late the next morning, and had a late breakfast in the main room of the Leaky Cauldron. She had made plans with Ginny to meet at noon here in the Leaky Cauldron.

Ginny showed up only two minutes late, carrying three big bags of stuff. She sat down with a sigh of relief, and took a sip of Hermione's coffee.

"You can have some of my coffee," Hermione said as she watched Ginny catch her breath.

"Thanks, okay so I spent all morning shopping," Ginny started as she began to pull out articles of clothing from her bags, "These are for you, Hermione. You are not going to leave this time. So, since your wardrobe needs serious updating, I took the liberty of purchasing you a few items to wear while you look for a flat, to wear when going on job interviews, and a few outfits for going out."

Hermione's jaw was on the table as she watched Ginny pull out piece after piece of clothing. Tops, jeans, pants, skirts, jackets, you name it, Ginny bought it.

"Ginny, I don't need all of these clothes, I can't afford all of these clothes," she said looking at the labels, "these are designer. Ginny, these clothes must have cost you a fortune."

Ginny waved her hand at Hermione, "Hermione, you don't have to pay for them, I did. Only one of the perks of being married to Harry, I can finally indulge in my shopping habit correctly. Anyway, just think of them as over-due birthday and Christmas gifts, it's been way too long, Hermione."

Then Ginny grabbed her last bag, and began to remove toys for a six-year old. "And these," she said to Adah, "are for you, Adah. I'm your aunt, and I haven't ever gotten you a gift. I have six years of birthdays and Christmases to make up for."

Adah's face was bright with glee, as she saw at least 20 books, a few board games, and a Potions kit. She must have died and gone to heaven, these were perfect.

Adah jumped up from her seat, and launched herself into Ginny's arms, "Thanks so much Aunt Ginny, I love them."

Ginny smiled and kissed Adah on the forehead, "You're very welcome." Adah immediately opened the first book on the pile, and began to read.

"Ginny, this is too much," Hermione began.

Ginny interrupted, "Nope, it's not, Hermione. You and Adah deserve so much. You, Hermione, are my best friend, and I've missed you. You shouldn't be feeling so bad. So, I'm taking you out tonight. I've already arranged it. Adah will stay with Harry and Ron. They're having guys' night. I figured guys' night could entail baby-sitting since they were kicking me out of my own house. They agreed, only because she's their niece, and because they love you."

"I don't know, Ginny. Do you really think Harry and Ron can take care of a six-year old," Hermione questioned.

"Well, they won't kill her," Ginny said with a shrug.

"Where are we going anyway," Hermione asked as she helped Ginny put all of the things back into their bags.

"To a club, we're going dancing."

With that, Ginny stood up and began to bring the bags to Hermione's room. Hermione and Adah followed behind, and helped Ginny unpack everything. Ginny left an hour later, having picked out Hermione's outfit, and promising to meet Hermione down in the Leaky Cauldron at eight o'clock.

Ginny left the Leaky Cauldron and apparated to a small flat.

"The plan's in motion," she said to the man sitting at the kitchen table, "Hermione is going to come to the club with me tonight at eight. Adah's being watched, and Hermione is free for the entire night."

Fred smiled, "Great, now we wait till eight."

"Yup, now we wait," Ginny said, "And since I've helped you with your little scheme, you better not screw it up. Hermione's my best friend, and if you break her heart anymore I will hunt you down. Don't think I won't do it because you're my brother, because I will."

Ginny left a few minutes later, leaving Fred alone.

The plan was in motion, everything was set.

Tonight at eight, Operation Prince Charming will be put in motion.

Hermione was going to finally get her happy ending.


	10. Finally Ready to be Caught

A/N: Okay, so I know I've been horrible, and I've made everyone wait like three months for this chapter, but I have had literally no time to write, and I didn't want to write something crappy just to get a chapter in. So, this is it. This is the end of this story, and I have to say, for a story that was originally a one-shot, I'm really going to miss it. I hope I did the ending well, reviews, of course, are always welcome. The song belongs to Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow, or whoever owns it, which is not me. Well, as far as a sequel goes, I'm not sure. Tell me if you think a sequel would be good, or just an epilogue, or if you think it's good how it is. I'm always open to suggestions. Please, please read and review. I try and reply to all of the reviews I get, I love them. Well, here it is, the final chapter of TSSR.

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Hermione got ready with butterflies in her stomach. She hadn't been out for six years; she hadn't enjoyed something for herself in six years, her fragile heart wouldn't allow it.

Ginny arrived promptly at eight o'clock, much to Hermione's dismay, who was rather nervous about leaving Adah to go out for the night. Ginny noticed Hermione's fidgeting right away, and laughed as her friend played with the napkin in front of her.

"Hermione, don't be nervous," she said as she sat at the table, giving Adah a small kiss on the forehead, "Ron and Harry will be find with Adah. Adah's an amazing kid, she's so low-maintenance. And you deserve to go out for yourself, you've sacrificed enough."

Hermione smiled at her friend, taking in the outfit Ginny had on; it was rather hard to miss. She was clad in a sequin top, cutting in a deep V that was rather revealing. She had on a white mini skirt with black strappy sandals. Her hair was done up in a loose up-do that really accentuated Ginny's amazing facial features; some light make-up was brushed on Ginny's face.

"Harry let you go out of the house dressed like that without him," Hermione questioned as she gathered Adah's things together.

"What Harry doesn't know won't hurt him, and plus I don't get to dress like this much anymore, no time in between work and spending time with Harry."

The three girls walked to the fireplace in the tavern and used the Floo system to get to the Potter house. Ginny yelled into the house, trying to find her husband. Harry replied back saying he'd be down in a minute. Hermione kissed Adah on the head and gave her a big hug.

"Have a great time with Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron," she said as she knelt down to be eye level with the six-year old, "and you be a good girl, okay. Please, go easy on them, they're new at this. And no pranks! I mean it, Adah Joelle, no pranks."

Adah gave her mom a small smile that was reminiscent of a particular red-head who had trouble listening to the rules. Hermione waved bye as her and Ginny disapparated away from the Potter house and to the outside of the club.

Hermione noticed all the young people hanging around outside, waiting to get in. They all looked so carefree, not worrying about anything, just enjoying life; Hermione wished she could be that happy again.

And with that thought Hermione walked into the club, and with a wave of music, she lost herself to the intoxicating aura of the club.

All her worries gone.

--

Hermione was on the dance floor ten minutes after arriving at the club. A drink in hand, she made her way with Ginny to the center, right in the middle of everything. She forgot how much she loved to dance. Everything disappeared on the dance floor; nothing mattered except for the music, the beat, and anyone she was dancing with.

Dancing was therapeutic; dancing let her escape, even if only for a moment.

Fred watched Hermione from the end of the bar. He saw her moving her hips to the beat of the music; she was an amazing dancer, he remembered that about her.

"_Fred, I'm kind of nervous about going to a club, what if I look like an idiot," Hermione said with a worried look on her face, "I'm going to look stupid."_

_Fred smiled as he watched a nervous Hermione twitch in the line to the doorway. "Hermione," he said, "When have I ever steered you wrong."_

_Hermione opened her mouth to reply, but Fred cut her off, "Don't answer that." They both laughed._

_Hermione's brown eyes glistened as the music got louder; she couldn't deny the infectious quality music had with her. Fred knew it and Fred exploited it._

_They made their way inside, grabbing a drink at the bar. The next minute Fred had Hermione on the dance floor, getting lost in the music. They danced together, not saying anything, just moving together to the beat of the song._

_Fred watched her._

_She closed her eyes and swayed to the music, completely lost in the song. She moved gracefully, never missing the beat, and looking radiant. She had a content smile on her face, her face glistening with sweat as she moved faster. She was dancing so close to him that he could smell her shampoo; he liked being this close to her._

_He loved her._

_Hermione opened her eyes to see Fred staring at her, "What are you looking at?"_

"_The most perfect witch in the whole world."_

_She blushed._

"_And you said you were nervous about dancing, you seem to be enjoying yourself."_

_Hermione smiled sheepishly, "I've always loved to dance, but I'm a little self-conscious."_

"_No need to be, you're the most beautiful witch here, no contest."_

_A slow song came on, and Hermione put her arms around Fred's neck, her head resting on his shoulder. Fred put his hands on her hips, pulling her closer. The song started and Hermione began to sing along to the words. They danced together in perfect harmony, never breaking their embrace. The song ended, and Hermione pulled back smiling._

"_I love this song," she said, "It's one of my favorites."_

"_What's it called," Fred asked._

"_Picture."_

Fred smiled as he continued to watch Hermione dance. Finally he gathered up enough nerve to finally put his plan into motion. He got up from his place at the bar, and made his way toward the DJ's table. He quietly talked to the DJ for a few minutes, and then made his way back down towards the middle of the dance floor. He found her, surrounded by people, just dancing like nobody's watching.

He tapped her on the shoulder as a slower song began, "Can I have this dance?"

Hermione turned around, surprised to hear such a familiar voice. She hesitated for a moment; maybe letting everything go wasn't such a good idea. She decided to succumb to her gut, and she placed her arms around Fred Weasley's neck. Hermione was taking a risk; she was falling, and she hoped against hope that he would be there to catch her this time.

They danced silently, not needing to say anything. They still moved together perfectly; they had always fit. Hermione's head was leaned against Fred's shoulder, and his head was buried in her hair. He was taking in a scent he had missed for six years. In the middle of the song Fred began to speak into Hermione's ear.

"Do you recognize the song?"

Hermione listened closely for a moment, recognizing the song in a heartbeat.

"It's our song," he replied.

And now, more than ever, the words of Hermione's favorite song were truer than ever.

_Livin' my life in a slow hell  
Different girl every night at the hotel  
I ain't seen the sun shine in 3 damn days  
Been fuelin' up on cocaine and whisky  
Wish I had a good girl to miss me  
Lord I wonder if I'll ever change my ways  
I put your picture away  
Sat down and cried today  
I can't look at you while I'm lyin' next to her  
I put your picture away, sat down and cried today  
I can't look at you, while I'm lyin next to her_

_I called you last night in the hotel  
Everyone knows but they wont tell  
But their half hearted smiles tell me  
Somethin' just ain't right  
I been waitin' on you for a long time  
Fuelin' up on heartaches and cheap wine  
I ain't heard from you in 3 damn nights  
I put your picture away  
I wonder where you been  
I can't look at you while I'm lyin' next to him  
I put your picture away  
I wonder where you been  
I can't look at you while I'm lyin' next to him  
_

_I saw ya yesterday with an old friend_

_It was the same ole same "how have you been"_

_Since you been gone my worlds been dark & grey _

You reminded me of brighter days

I hoped you were comin' home to stay

_I was headed to church _

I was off to drink you away

_I thought about you for a long time  
_

_Can't seem to get you off my mind  
_

_I can't understand why we're living life this way  
_

_I found your picture today  
I swear I'll change my ways  
I just called to say I want you to come back home  
I found your picture today  
I swear I'll change my ways  
I just called to say I want you to come back home  
I just called to say, I love you come back home_

Hermione smiled, he had remembered. The song ended with Hermione feeling more confused and more vulnerable, but excited and amazing.

"I believe in that song more than ever now," Fred said, "I messed up, Hermione, please let me fix it."

Hermione didn't answer, she didn't want to leave the dance floor because once she did, life would come flooding back again, and every hurtful thing Fred had done would come back. She couldn't handle being hurt again by the memories.

Fred grabbed Hermione's hand, "Come with me."

He pulled her outside the club, and brought her to a quiet corner. He presented her with a bouquet of roses, all different colors. They were beautiful.

"These are for you," Fred said as he handed them to her, "One for each year I should have come after you." Hermione glanced at them, but found something wrong.

"There are only five roses, I've been gone for six years."

Fred smiled and produced on last flower, which he didn't hand to her. "Each flower is a different color, symbolizing something different. The red rose means love, beauty, and courage. Hermione, I love you, you mean the world to me. Every day I live without you I die a little more. You're beautiful. Everything about you is beautiful, the way you bite your lip when you're concentrating, or the way you twirl your hair. Even your cute little snort is beautiful. And, you are the most courageous woman I know. No one I know can a raise a child on their own the way you have; I'm so lucky to be able to say that Adah is my daughter. The white rose means heavenly. You are my angel here on earth. You've fallen from the sky to rescue me; you are my heaven in a single star. The pink rose means appreciation and 'please believe me.' I appreciate everything you have done with raising Adah and bringing her back to me and allowing me to be a father. Please believe me that I love you more than anything, and that I will never hurt you again. I know it's going to take so long to convince you that I can be there for you, but I want you to give me the chance. The coral rose means desire. Hermione, my desire for you is second to none. I've waited every minute since you left to have you again; I want to make you happy, you deserve that more than anything. The lavender rose means love at first sight. I have that one because, well, I loved you at first sight. You may have been that curly-headed, bookworm Gryffindor, but I knew that you were something special. I may not have known it was love then, but now I do. You are my everything. And last, this rose, the yellow rose. The yellow rose means friendship. We were friends before we were a couple, and without our friendship, I don't think our relationship would be as strong as it is. Your friendship means the world to me; you understand me better than anyone, even George. The yellow rose also means the promise of a new beginning. This is me promising you a new beginning; I'm going to be there for you because I can't see anywhere else I'd rather be."

Hermione had been silently crying the entire speech. Here was Fred Weasley opening his heart to her, and she knew he was sincere. He was there to catch her as she fell, and finally, she was ready to be caught.

"I will stop loving you when the last rose dies," Fred said as he wiped away a tear that had stained Hermione's face. She looked at the bouquet.

"The yellow one's a fake."

"Yea, that's because my love for you, and our friendship, will never die."

Hermione couldn't control herself any longer. She lunged at Fred, kissing him with all the built up passion of six years. She held onto him like she would never let go, she didn't want to.

"You finally get your happy ending."

"This isn't my happy ending," Hermione said with a smile, "This is just the beginning."


End file.
